Neera Tanden, a fierce antagonist to President Trump during his first administration, will again lead the Center for American Progress, a major engine of Democratic policy in Washington.
Neera Tanden, a longtime fixture of Democratic politics in Washington, is taking back her old post leading the party’s top think tank, where she served as one of President Trump’s most energetic and vocal antagonists during his first term.
The group, the Center for American Progress, announced on Thursday that Ms. Tanden would return as its chief executive. Since its founding more than two decades ago, the center, which is based in Washington, has served as a locus of Democratic opposition whenever Republicans have held the White House.
Ms. Tanden takes over the organization at a moment when many Democratic donors are withholding contributions, party leaders are struggling to develop a coherent message and no obvious figures have emerged to lead the pushback to Mr. Trump.
Now, Ms. Tanden said, is the time for Democrats to not just fight back against Mr. Trump but also offer ideas of their own before the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential contest.
“We should have reflection for sure, but a level of self-doubt that basically puts people in catatonic positions is not helpful in a moment where Trump is threatening this level of harm to millions upon millions of Americans,” she said in an interview on Wednesday. “A critical purpose of the Center for American Progress is to develop an alternative, not just a critique.”
Ms. Tanden has served on Democratic presidential campaigns dating to 1988, when she volunteered for Michael Dukakis. She was a dogged aide to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — roles in which she was often at odds with more progressive Democrats — before becoming the Center for American Progress’s president in 2017. From that perch, she helped lead the Democratic fight to preserve Mr. Obama’s signature health care law and was among the party’s leading voices of anti-Trump resistance.